


In the time a dragon's fly

by Aliceinwonderland



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dragons, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fantasy, Fights, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Secret Mission, Slow Burn, Smut, There's a war, Violence, a lot of dragons, and Liam a dragon rider, but nothing too graphic, larry side, lovely friends, the malik family - Freeform, zayn is a prince
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:21:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25898119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliceinwonderland/pseuds/Aliceinwonderland
Summary: After their neighbour kingdom threatens to invade them, the only hope the Malik kingdom has to win the war and stop the invasion is to ask for help in the Horan Kingdom, their friends for years. The problem is that to do it Zayn has to go on a secret mission with Liam, the head of the dragon riders, and four more people but they can't stand each other and Zayn thinks that Liam hates him.If the mission fails and they don't win the war and stop the other kingdom, Zayn will never forget it so he needs to concentrate on that, the problem is that Liam is near him making that much more complicated and a mess. Even with their friends with them.Plus: Dragons.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Shawn Mendes, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 14
Kudos: 20
Collections: Ziam Fantasy Fest





	In the time a dragon's fly

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: #7: One of them is a dragon rider/warrior and the other is a prince (author can choose which is which) and they can’t stand each other at the start. But then another country threatens to invade their land and the king orders the dragon rider to take the prince on a long journey to a neighboring country to get help. Really I just want a secret mission with enemies-to-lovers and dragons.
> 
> I hope the person who left the prompt loves the fic. I haven't written ziam in years, and I was a little nervous. I hope you love it. Thank you so much to guilty1dlove for correcting the fic and helping me with the prompt and the mistakes. ( all remining mistakes are mine). I want to say thanks to my group of friends, for being the best cheerladers and great friends! Love you all so much!! and thanks to the mods for organizing the fest. 
> 
> Enjoy the fic!

The whole land was waking up when the messenger appeared that morning. It was a quiet one; at least for the first minutes after they woke up. The King, the protector of the country, called them to the master living room where he was sitting in front of the table with a worried expression. Zayn walked two steps more and saw the paper. The headline was in capital letters.

Zayn’s expression changed from tiredness to being worried and anxious. The kingdom of Eslanda, their neighbourhood kingdom and friends of many years, threatened to invade them. 

“They want our dragons, our products and they won’t stop until they reduce all to ashes and find what they want. Our dragons are our most important weapons and treasures. They are more powerful than theirs. The messenger also told me that the King doesn’t want to argue. They give us two weeks to hand over what they ask for, or they will invade us. We need help,” said his father.

“They can’t do that. They are supposed to be our friends. What happened with King Luther? He was our friend. I was in the same school as his daughter and son. We were always close, and besides that; this is not okay. You know what? Threaten them back. You can do it, Father,” said his older sister, almost screaming.

“King Luther is old and he passed his kingdom to his first born son. He retired and nobody can find him. I hope he is okay. It is his eldest son, now King Julius, who threatens us. He listens to no one. He wants our land, our people, and all we have. I think something happened to make him change like that. He was kind when we met him a few years ago. But we are going to protect what is ours. No other option; we will fight for our country and for our people. Now, we need to focus and think what to do next.” said his father.

Zayn looked at his sister. His father was right. Luther and their family were friends since they were young. How can they plan to invade them when they shared their food, sat at their table, and were guests in their house? He thought, completely devastated from the news.

Zayn’s hands were in tense. He was worried at first, but the anxiety turned to anger.

His father turned to him. “We can’t do that if we don’t have other kingdoms by our side. That’s why you two are here, and not the rest of the princes.”

In that moment the doors opened and two guards appeared with a group of dragon riders. All of them were wearing the official robes which had the blue cap with the golden crown in the middle of the back and the big M underneath it. The blue and silver suits completed the look. Their outfits were made for fighting, for their wars. Zayn thought the same as his father. He turned to him, ready to face whatever he had in mind to protect their kingdom. Zayn was ready to do battle. 

“You called us, my King,” said Liam. 

He was the head of the dragon riders and Zayn took a deep breath. Whatever was going to happen, he hoped it was nothing that involved him having to do anything with Liam. 

The king turned to his daughter. “You are going to train, with them.”

Zayn’s sister was about to say something, but his father spoke faster. “I know you have trained all your life and you are ready to fight for your people. But we need you…we need you to be prepared. Our dragon riders will help you with that.” 

“Okay Father, I just want to say that I can do much more than that. Maybe we can try to make them understand.” 

“I know you want to avoid the war and that’s great, but sometimes a king or a queen must do what they need to do to protect their land. And this is your moment to show the people that the Malik family can protect them and can make them feel safe here, because this is our home, their home. So, when the time comes, you are going to fight and to speak to them, if that’s what’s needed. Okay? No discussion.”

Zayn and his sister shared a look. They were nervous and they could feel the tension in the room, while the riders and the guards waited for the king’s commands. It was weird to be in that moment, feeling unsafe and knowing that they didn’t do anything to provoke an invasion by their former friends.

“Now Zayn, I need you to do something important. We need help from other kingdoms, and the most important one that I think can help us, is the Horan family. You used to be good friends with their youngest son, and we always have good talks and reunions. We have traded with them for years without problems. They are our best option now. Their kingdom has good weapons, the best in the world, and their army is amazing and big.” said his father looking at him. 

“Yes Father, but it’s been years since I talked to Niall in person. We write to each other occasionally, but the last time I saw him was at the tournament when I was twentyone. That was four years ago. Too much time has passed since then. I can try to write him, though. I’m sure he would want to help.”

“I don’t want you to write him; you are going to their kingdom with a letter from me and some of our best products.” Answer his father.

Their most important exportations were the fruit they harvest, their leather and their gold “a fine piece of jewellery and the most important thing. All the information about what is happening. I want you to inform me when you’ve arrived, no excuses. A group of guards and dragon riders are going with you, including our head rider.” His father turned to Liam. “I want you to go with my son and four of your best riders. Two guards can go with you as well. I need this to be a secret journey. No one else can know where you’re going. Do you understand?” 

Zayn couldn’t believe it. He didn’t have a problem with the journey until his father mentioned HIM. They were friends once, but not anymore. Nowadays, they could barely stand each other.

In their younger years, they used to be friends. They danced, drank and had fun together. They loved dancing and talking with their group of friends. One night, the last time they spent with their friends, they had a moment. They were dancing and singing like everyone else, having a really good time, when Zayn hugged Liam from behind. They look at each other, their noses touching and they almost kissed, when someone moved them and they lost the feeling, the moment and everything. That was the last time they acted like friends, the last time Liam was kind to him. Since that night, Zayn couldn’t stop thinking about what really happened…if he did something wrong. He tried to talk to Liam, but nothing worked. Their friendship was lost forever.

Zayn didn’t know why, but Liam never wanted to be near him again. They never trained together anymore and he always talked to others instead of Zayn. Sometimes, when there was no other option and they needed to talk, Liam’s voice was always tense and annoyed, like he hate him, even after their friendship.

He always thought that if he really hates him why did he start working for him? It was clear since that night that Liam couldn’t stand him anymore. He had a better relationship with Zayn’s father and the rest of the family, so maybe it was just something between them. But Zayn had the same feelings towards him. He wanted to be his friend and fix whatever happened between them. But after some years of trying, he was tired of attempting to talk to him and be his friend again. He just wanted to be polite, do what his father told him and what everyone expected a prince to do and stay away from Liam as much as he could, even if he still wondered what happened. For now, he needed to focus, and the problems with Liam weren’t the important issue at that moment. Nothing was more important than the looming invasion. 

Liam walked two steps towards them, to the part of the room where they were talking. 

“Of course, my King,” Liam looked at Zayn and then bowed towards the three of them.

“You have until tonight. You have only two days to do the trip. Inform them and come back.” 

“Two days? That’s so little time,” said Zayn without thinking. “I’m sorry, two days is okay.”

His father looked at him for a second and then turned to the guards and the riders.

“You will meet my son at the dragon quarters at ten tonight. You can go now.”

Zayn didn’t turn to see them leaving. He could hear the door and their steps, but his attention was on his sister and his father. 

“What if this doesn’t go as planned and they have already convinced the Horan family to join their army and their war?” Zayn looked at his sister, her eyes were bright, but she seemed nervous. Zayn couldn’t stop biting his lip.

“Then we will fight on our own and protect our people with all we have,” his father said.

…

Zayn walked to the dragon quarters when he heard Liam’s voice from the training ground. He turned to see him with all his army mates. Some stood up and others sat on the ground. Zayn continued on his way. It had been a day since he saw Brave.

When he arrived at his private little quarter, Brave was sleeping and her noises were so cute. Zayn walked inside and closed the door, sat on the floor near her and put one of his arms over her wings, trying to protect her without disturbing her.

Brave was gifted to him when he was four years old. Her yellow scales were beautiful and her wings had little green dots. It was a weird mix of colours, but he loved her so much. He rested his back on the wall and breathed slowly, trying to relax himself. 

He wished he could stay at home and act like nothing was happening, basically to avoid traveling and being with people that hated him. He thought of an option so his sister could do this instead of him, but it wasn’t a good option. He knew he needed to act like a prince.

When he was four years old, he spent most of the day playing with Brave and sleeping, doing nothing but enjoying his time and avoiding the future. The first time he had to act like a prince was when he was ten years old and the Horan family came to visit them during their festivities. 

His parents told him what to wear and taught him what to do when they arrived, he hated it. They made him wear a suit, yellow and blue. It was a disaster, too light and it was hot. That was the moment he realized that nothing would be simple again, that he needed to be a prince from that moment on. At least he wasn’t the heir, and that gave him more free time and he was free to marry who he wanted, no matter the gender. 

Brave started to move and raised her head to look at him.

“Hey Brave, did you sleep well?” asked Zayn and left a kiss on her nose. 

Brave answered by moving her eyelashes and brushing her head on Zayn, making him smile.

“I have to go out tonight. I don’t know if you can come with me or when I can come back, maybe in two or three days. I’m going to miss you so much.”

Brave looked at him, trying to understand what he was saying, but it was weird. They stayed there the next hour, enjoying the sun and each other’s company. Zayn loved to be with her. It always helped him relax and forget about the rest of his problems. Dragons had always been part of their kingdom. There was a tale about how they arrived.

Zayn remembered how their parents told them the story, mostly for getting them to sleep. But sometimes also when they were all together in the private living room after dinner, just talking and playing.

The story told that an old lady was returning home from the War of the Tulips, when she arrived at an abandoned castle in the forest. There were only ruins, but she found a place to sleep on the right side of the palace, with a pair of chairs and some remnants of walls to protect her from the wind and the rain.

When she woke up the next morning, there was a silver egg between the stones of the castle. She didn’t remember if it had been there the night before, but she looked at the egg with curiosity. Maybe it came from a bird or a type of reptile? She was fascinated by the silver that covered the egg.

She was about to touch it, when the egg moved and broke. From inside appeared a little dragon with tiny grey wings and blue eyes. It was a beautiful creature but the woman didn’t know what to do or which food she could give the little one as they never had them in her country. The lady was still near the dragon, looking at the little one with a smile and trying to be nice to avoid being bitten, when the sun started to shine above them.

She took the dragon with her and they became good friends. When she left the castle, some hours later, he saw another egg a few steps to the right. This time the egg was light blue. From within emerged a little dragon with blue scales and big brown eyes. 

She took both of them to the city and to court. That was the beginning of the dragons in their kingdom, or that was what everyone thought. Zayn and his sisters used to love hearing that tale when they were little. Now, it was just something he remembered, and they keep wondering if it was really true.

After an hour with Brave, he woke up and walked outside. The training field was empty and there was no sound. Everyone was quiet, and he knew he needed to go to his room and pack the things for his travel. But he couldn’t make himself go in that direction yet. He wanted to spend more time there.

He took a sword from the weapons cupboard in the corner of the field and walked to the centre. He moved the sword as if there was someone fighting with him, trying to stick his blade into his body.

He did a few more moves, when he heard a laugh from the edge of the field. He knew that laugh. It came from one of his best friends.

“The warrior Zayn, the best in the kingdom” he was walking towards him.

Zayn turned around and saw his friend Louis near him, wearing the warrior suit and holding a sword in his hand. They were friends since their teenage years, when they met at the annual tournament. When they were young, they spent a lot of time together, playing even during training or study time. And when they finally went to college together, they managed to get the same room and into the same team for the training classes.

“Shut up, I’m just exercising in case something happens. It's something I didn’t do in a few days.” 

Louis laughed and tried to make him drop his sword to the floor in order to win. 

“Why are you dressed in that warrior suit? Are you coming with us?” 

“Yes, Liam wants me there. He said I can talk to you or make you understand, and you can have a friend there.” 

“So kind of him to think of me. Like they pay him for it… oh, wait, they do…”

“Don’t be like that, Liam doesn’t hate you,” said Louis while Zayn managed to get his sword and win.

“If you say so. I’m scared. I can’t believe the stupid King of Eslanda wants to invade us. Julius was always a stupid person, I hate him.”

“Me too.” They sat on the ground, trying to catch their breaths and relax under the sun. “I can’t understand him. This morning I thought it was a rumour without substance; something someone made up. I can’t believe it.” said Louis.

“He was always stupid, how many of you are coming with me?” asked Zayn.

“James, Harry, Julianna and me. Harry is excited. He thinks this is like going on an adventure.”

“This is the most horrible adventure of all time. I hate it.”

Zayn stood up and left the sword in the weapons wardrove, then he turned to Louis, who was doing the same and they walked to the castle. 

…

After they finished dinner, Zayn walked to his bedroom to pack his bag and help the servant to pick his best clothes for travelling and possibly fighting. Then he heard a knock on the door. His sister was outside with a little smile and she closed the door after entering into his bedroom.

“How are you? This changes everything. Father told me that I have to talk to the people tomorrow morning because the news is everywhere and as I’m going to be the heir when I ascend to the throne next year, after marrying, I must do it. I’m so scared.”

“I’m so sorry, but it will be alright. You’re an amazing speaker and the people love you so much sis,” said Zayn.

“But this is not like announcing a marriage, a festivity or a new year. This is war, this is… I hate Julius. I thought we were friends. Turns out he was only interested in invading our land.” 

“I hate him too, but this is going to end well. We are going to win. I’m going to come back with the Horan army and his country will be stupid if they try to stop us from capture Julius. It will be better, and you are an amazing talker. People love your speeches.” 

“I know, our people are the best. I love our kingdom, and I want to protect it. The speech will be all over the land by the afternoon, thanks to the newspapers. One of them wants to talk to me, but our parents said no.”

“I want to talk to you, but I have to go.” Zayn took the bag with all his clothes and a pair of boots and stood up from the bed. “I love you, and I will be back soon. Just don’t think about the speech until tomorrow and try to sleep. Love you.”

His sister gave him a big hug. They had always been close. The rest of his sisters were little and they spend a lot of time studying together. His older sister, and heir of the throne, has always been his best friend and an amazing person with great ideas and advice. They’d spend a lot of time together when they were young and didn’t have to study.

“I love you too, take care and please try to be kind with all the riders.”

“Not with Liam, but I’ll try.”

“Omg, you act like a child. He is just doing his job, Zayn. Don’t be like that, come on. Liam is a great person. He is nice.” 

“I’m not acting like a child, he is annoying.”

His sister laughed, putting her tongue out while leaving his room. Zayn walked to the dragon quarters and saw the riders together in the middle of the training field.

“Your majesty, you arrived early,” said James.

Zayn was caught off guard. James was new to the dragon warriors and it was weird when he addressed him so formally.

“Don’t do that please, there is no requirement for that. I’m one of yours,” said Zayn while putting his bag on the floor.

“Yeah, he is the warrior of all warriors,” said Louis. “I’m glad you arrived early because we are talking about the trip and some rules.”

“We are going to travel with the dragons, your parents approve it. I think it’s the best idea if we want to arrive in two days. By horse or on foot it would take us a lot longer,” said Harry.

“Yeah, almost four or five days. With the dragons we will arrive in the allocated time,” said Liam. "And we are going to fly in pairs.”

“In pairs?” Zayn didn’t want to be rude, but he didn’t like that rule.

“Yes, your father thinks with fewer dragons the mission will be better. Plus this is a secret mission, so it is better if we try our best to be discreet.”

“You didn’t tell all the riders what this journey is really for?” asked Zayn, looking at Liam.

Liam waited a second to answer as if he was annoyed at Zayn just for asking him or talking to him.

“No, I told them the news about the other kingdom possibly invading us and threating our lives. But I told them that we are going to be away for a few days to go and look how the rest of our lands and the borders are coping,” Liam answer him. “Do you think that’s not okay?”

“No… I was just asking,” said Zayn surprised. He loved the plan. It was a good idea to keep it secret, as there were a lot of rumours in the country and they didn’t want to ruin their mission.

“Okay, the guards are also not coming. It would be too much risk and we don’t need them. We know how to fight without the dragons, right?” Liam looked at Zayn while he said that.

Zayn glanced at Louis, who was next to Harry. They were walking to the other side, to get the dragons. The guards were walking to their place in the quarters and the other riders, James and Julianna were taking the leather protection for their dragons and the rest of the important things they needed to take to the other kingdom. 

“Yeah, I’m okay with whatever you think is great,” said Zayn and he felt lonely for a moment.

“Let’s go, you are going with me,” said Liam as he began to walk faster to join Harry and Louis and the three dragons.

Zayn sighed. As if everything wasn’t bad enough already, he had to travel near Liam and without space to move. Dragons are fast and beautiful, but most of them are not comfortable to travel on for hours or even days. But there he was, with the head of the dragon riders, who hate him, ready to travel together. His best friend Louis flew with Harry, who was also his husband. James and Julianna rode the third dragon. 

At least the rest of the group was nice, Zayn thought while he helped James and Julianna with the protections. 

Zayn looked at the dragons, none of them were Brave. He knew he couldn’t bring her with him. She was a really easy dragon to recognized. There weren’t many yellow ones because it was really difficult to find one and even more rare to have one. The entire kingdom knew he had a yellow dragon. 

Instead, there was Louis’ dragon, Wind, and another one he didn’t recognize with green scales and smaller than Wind. Behind them there was a third one with grey wings and two bright blue eyes. It was beautiful.

“That’s my dragon, his name is Bright. He is the best in the world,” Liam said while caressing the dragon’s grey scales.

“I doubt it; the best dragon in the world is Brave, who would be great company for the journey. I know it’s not safe for her, but she is the best,” said Zayn while they started to put the leather protection over the dragon’s back. James and Harry put the bags on the sides of their dragons, and pat their heads.

“Yeah, okay…our first stop will be in two hours,” said Liam. Also if you start feeling sick, just make a move with your hand to announced it to the others or shout if you can, and we will make a stop. Okay? Is everyone ready?” 

“Yes,” said Harry. “Let’s go.” 

Harry caressed Wind’s wings before he climbed onto the dragon. Louis was in front of him and Julianna sat in front of James on their dragon. Liam took his seat in front, something Zayn didn’t agree with and he sat behind him.

“I can ride too, if you want,” said Zayn, trying to change places while they were getting ready to fly.

“This is my dragon. Bright hates it when others ride her. So it’s me or me. Sorry, Prince,” Liam said.

Zayn looked at him annoyed. What was that? He wasn’t comfortable flying with him? He was about to move when Liam kicked his leg and the dragon opened his wings and went up. They flew to the sky, it was clear and Zayn loved the feeling. He sighed again that night, knowing that he couldn’t do anything to change their positions or anything. So instead, he enjoyed the fresh wind on his skin, the caressing of his face especially. Then he opened his eyes and sat as comfortable as he could. He stroked the dragon’s scales a little bit without annoying her and forgot about the rest of his troubles. The view was stunning. 

They rode for the next two hours above forests and cities. They saw other dragons in the distance. Some citizens and other noble people had one or more for them. It was a common thing. Their dragon market was famous all over the world and a lot of people came from afar to buy their dragons and their leather protections from them. It was one of the most important things their kingdom was famous for.

Two hours later Liam made a sign with his right hand and then with his left hand to alert the others that they were going to descent and have a rest. Their dragons were tired and they needed a rest and maybe have some food and drink. 

When their feet were again on solid ground, they found a clearing where they let their dragons sleep and drink something, while they talked and waited to start their trip again some hours later. 

Louis lit the fire while the rest of the group sat around it. Zayn looked at Liam. He was serious, but he seemed relaxed, like nothing was bothering him and he just wanted to rest and enjoy some company. 

Maybe Zayn was wrong and he didn’t hate him, like Louis always told him. Then Liam looked over at him, catching him by surprise before moving again to focus on the fire. They were in the middle of the forest.

That part of the kingdom didn’t have many inhabitants. Most of the people lived around the city and the suburbs. 

“Do you want a drink? Harry asked the others with a bottle of whisky in his hand. I have glasses.” 

The rest of the group started laughing while Zayn looked at them. He didn’t understand what was so funny. He didn’t love whisky so much, but he could have a drink if they give him a glass. It could help him to relax.

“This is not the moment to drink alcohol. We should wait till we arrive at the next stop where we can have a rest for the whole night,” said Liam.

“Okay, Captain of the world, relax,” said Louis. “We can sleep here. The dragons are tired and we are going to feel the same soon enough. We can sleep here and wake up early and refreshed tomorrow morning.”

Liam sighed. “It’s better if we wait till the next stop. The dragons can wait a little bit to have a good rest. An hour here and then two hours flying,” Liam announced. “No discussion.”

The rest of the group looked at him a little sad and tired. James rested his face on his hand and tried to cover a yawn. Julianna stretched her legs while on her place near Zayn and they stayed there for some more minutes, in silence. 

The only sound was the dragons breathing and snoring. Zayn looked at them, they were tired. But Liam was right because they could fly long distances and be strong.

"We can rest a little here and then fly again, maybe an hour and a half instead of two long hours, if that’s ok,” Zayn said after a while of trying to think how to say it.

“I think that’s suitable, what do you think Liam?” Harry asked.

“Yeah, we can do that. Can’t wait to sleep the rest of the night or at least some hours,” said Liam.

Zayn looked at the bottle of whisky, lying on the floor next to Harry. They had forgotten about it because Liam said that it wasn’t the moment to drink. Harry took the little bottle and put it back in his bag, then stood up and walked to the dragons. 

“I’m going to rest a little,” said Harry while walking.

He walked to Wind, who was sleeping and breathing calmly. Harry moved the leather protection to make her feel more comfortable, and then he lay down near her. 

After an hour, they moved again. Zayn sat behind Liam, trying not to bother him. He was enjoying the view and the fresh air instead. Nearly two hours later, Liam announced to the others, that it was time to stop, eat and sleep.

They lit a fire again, put some of their food near it and started to eat. Zayn looked at the others, feeling stupid. He didn’t think to bring anything to eat. He took only a bottle of water, resting on his bag, but nothing to eat.

“I don’t have anything to eat,” he said near Louis. “I’m stupid. I should have thought about it. The people, who help us in the castle didn’t give me anything.”

“Maybe they give you the bag and you forget it,” said Julianna. 

“No, I’m sure. I didn’t forget it. The rest of the bag with the clothes and the boots were near my bed, but not the food bag.” 

Zayn looked at the other’s food. They had cheese, meat, apples, some nuts, bottles of water and whisky. He caught Liam’s eyes looking at him, making him feel stupid. He was looking at him like he was a kid. 

“It’s okay, I’m going to sleep,” said Zayn.

“It’s okay. We always bring extra food in case something happens. You can have ours,” said Harry.

“Really?” 

“Of course, we are friends and most importantly, we are part of the army of your kingdom. We need to protect you and all the dragons,” said Harry.

Zayn started laughing.

“Firstly, you are our friend, and that is more important,” said Louis.

He gave him the extra bag. It was a little piece of cloth and inside he found a big piece of cheese, a little piece of bread, two nuts, a piece of meat and a little piece of a cake. They started eating while the dragons drank and ate their dinner. 

The sky was clear and all the stars were looking at them brightly. Zayn took a bite of the cheese while he made a metal note to remind himself to find out what happened with this food and not to forget what his friends did for him. 

They were friends, but that was beyond their duties as part of the army. He was grateful to have such great friends. He met Harry a few years ago, when he started dating Louis. At first he was working in the guards of the city until Liam met him, and after a few weeks he saw him fighting with Louis for fun and found out he had good positioning and he was a winning.

He asked Harry to fight with him and after a few fights, Liam was on the floor trying to catch his breath again while Harry was smiling and giving him a hand to stand up again. After that, Liam asked the King for Harry to be part of the dragon riders. He had a long list of reasons why Harry was going to be a good addition to the army of riders.

“I can’t believe they threatened us,” said Julianna "Our kingdoms have always been friends."

“Julius was always stubborn and stupid. My sister is shocked as well because they used to be friends when they were kids and their family came to visit us a lot,” explained Zayn. “I’m not surprised that this was the first thing he did after becoming King. I’m more surprised that his family didn’t stop him. His sister and brother are intelligent, or at least that’s what I thought.” 

“I’m shocked too,” said Louis. “But we are going to find a solution. The Horan family has always been by our side. Besides that, Julius was stupid. I met him some years ago.”

“I met him as well,” James said. “When he came to our city, he was taking a walk. He didn’t talk to anyone, but he was there, walking and looking at us. It was when he was a teenager, if I remember correctly.”

“I didn’t know that,” said Zayn. Anyway, I think Niall and his family can help us. He was never friend with that family. They were enemies, even in high school.”

“Oh well, I’m going to sleep lads,” said James. “Sleep tight, all of you”.

“Me too, we need to build the tents. We should have done that when we arrived.” said Julianna.“I’m so tired now.”

“You are right, let me do it,” said Liam while getting up.

Everyone stood up and started building the tents. Zayn walked over to them to try and help, but when he got there, Liam walked before him and Zayn caught one of his looks. It was not friendly.

When the tents were up, he realised there were only two tents. That meant he must share a tent with someone. In fact, none of them were going to have a tent for just themselves.

“Why are there only two tents? I’m not sure about sharing a tent,” Zayn asked them.

“Because this is a secret mission and we have to be careful. This is a good option. Only two tents; we can look after the others and have more time to travel instead of packing and building tents,” Liam’s voice was a little rude.

Zayn looked at him annoyed, hoping to share a tent with his friends and not with him. “Yeah, sorry, I didn’t think about it. I was busy with other things, like talking with my family about this and thinking about options to fight that stupid bastard who threatens us. If that’s not enough for you, I’m not even sorry.”

“I don’t care about the things you have in mind. I just want to save the kingdom.” 

“That’s my kingdom, our kingdom. Not your kingdom and I’m the fucking Prince,” said Zayn, tired of his polite language.

He didn’t understand why he was part of the army and the dragon riders if he hated him so much, that’s a nonsense. It made no sense to think about their relationship now after they were so close when they were teenagers. Zayn didn’t understand him and he hated him for behaving like that with him. He didn’t do anything to deserve it. 

“Are you sure he didn’t hate me because I’m sure about it by just listening to his words,” Zayn said to Louis when Liam and James were inside one of the tents.

“Yeah, just give him time. I know he doesn’t hate you. He is on this mission to help you,” said Louis.

“This is his job, he couldn’t say no. He didn’t have a choice,” Zayn said.

“He has them, believe me. And I’m sure he just needs time,” Louis said.

“If you said so, I hope we can be at least polite to each other before this ends,” Zayn said.

Liam and James walked out of the tent and Liam looked at Zayn.

“You sleep with us,” said Liam. “I hope you’re good with that.”

Liam smiled at him and Zayn pressed his lips together. It wasn’t the best idea.

“I don’t want to sleep with you, if that’s what you are asking me. I prefer to sleep alone without someone like you beside me or near me,” Zayn said, almost screaming. “But I will do it. This is a mission, not a group of friends having time together. Sorry for being nice.”

Liam stood in front of him.

“You can be the Prince at the castle, but here I’m in charge of all and we do as I say. That was what your father told me when I became the head of the dragon riders and the army and the head of this secret mission. So get in the tent now, Prince.”

“You are annoying. You can be the head of the army, but you are not a good person. We used to be friends when we were younger, what is going on with you?. I don’t understand why you are part of the army if you hate me so much now, or do you think i'm stupid” Zayn asked.

“I don’t have to like you to protect the kingdom,” Liam screamed.

“Calm down please, we are friends, so just please don’t be like that now,” said Harry. “Let’s sleep. Tomorrow we can start again, come on.”

Zayn took a deep breath and then he got inside the tent. There were three beds made with two blankets and a sleeping bag, with their things on the side and a little bowl with water and a white cloth with the symbol of the kingdom near the bed over a piece of wood.

Zayn saw James talking to Liam while they came into the tent. He sat on his bed, looking at the others to see where they were going to sleep. Liam sat on the bed on the other side of the tent and James was next to him.

Zayn thought of the nights the servants help him with his clothes. It was something they always did. He looked at the others and then he looked at his bed and sighed. He had never fought in a war, just during practice and when a little conflict happened in one of his cities. But it had always been safe in the knowledge that they could solve the situation with just a few fights and chosen words.

Zayn took of his boots and his jacket and lay on his bed. He put the blankets over him up to his chest and tried to relax. He saw James lying on his bed next to him, while Liam was still taken off his boots. Then he sat on his bed and took of his jacket and then the white t-shirt and Zayn could see his skin. 

He saw a few tattoos. One of them was a little dragon over his left arm. Zayn looked at his muscles on his arms and his back and at his hair. It was a little messy but so beautiful. He could hear his friend’s voices from the outside and then a little air moving the trees. Zayn stared at him for a second and then he turned around, forgetting about the rest of the people and trying to sleep. 

“Good night,” said Liam, while lying on his bed.

“Good night to you too,” said James.

They sounded like good friends, not like the boss and the employee. Maybe Zayn was wrong and Liam was a good person, except that he seemed to hate him. Something that Zayn didn’t understand. He took a deep breath. 

The next morning, he woke up before the others and walked outside to find some fresh air and maybe something to eat. 

“How could I forget the food? I’m stupid, really,” he said out loud while walking around the dragons. “I need to focus.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Maybe you were just nervous,” said a voice behind him.

He moved fast. The voice was familiar and when he turned around, he saw Louis in front of him.

“I thought I was the only one awake,” said Zayn.

“I woke up a minute or so ago,” said Louis. “We can make breakfast.”

“I’m not good at cooking, you know.”

“I know, but you can learn.”

Louis took some cheese and eggs from one of his bags, then light the fire. They sat around it while they waited for the breakfast to be made. Louis taught Zayn how to make eggs on the fraying pan and how to make them with cheese.

“Do you think I’m a little bit annoying…sometimes maybe?” Zayn asked. 

“No, why do you think that? Did you fight with Liam again?” asked Louis.

Harry appeared outside the tent, yawning and stretching his arms as he joined them around the fire.

“No, it’s just… I’m trying to think why Liam hates me. He seems a good person with the rest of the group.”

“Liam doesn’t hate you,” said Harry. “You can trust us on that.”

“Yeah,” Louis looked at his husband, “you can trust us. But okay, he can be annoying too sometimes. Give him some time.”

“If you think that would help.” 

They started eating a few minutes later when Liam joined them. They shared a look. Zayn thought it was a weird look but the more he thought about it, the more confused he got.

After breakfast, they started flying again. The dragons were rested and the air was warm with some clouds, no sun in the sky. It was the perfect weather to fly. That was something they’d all learned the first day they joined the dragon army. 

Harry and Louis were on Zayn’s right side, they were talking and smiling. It was a lovely view.

The next time they stopped was two hours later. They gave water to the dragons, had something to drink and started flying again. They wanted to arrive at their destination as soon as possible. They just had to, and every day they didn’t arrive, it was a risk for their kingdom and their families.

That night, they did the last stop to sleep with the main city of the Horan Kingdom only a few hours away. Zayn couldn’t wait to arrive and talk to Niall. Just sending each other letters really wasn’t enough.

Zayn was resting on his bed after dinner when the group was outside talking. James entered the tent and lay on his bed while Zayn could hear Liam’s voice talking with the others.

“Good night, I’m so tired,” said James.

“Good night, James, sleep well,” said Zayn, listen to the conversation outside.

“You can talk to him,” said Harry. “Come on, be kind.”

“I don’t want to. I’m not sure. I can’t change what I feel about him and…”

Then they heard a noise outside, a dragon screaming. Zayn stood up and ran to the outside. They could hear the noise again, and then they saw a light from afar. They ran to the lights, while James and Harry stayed to look after the dragons. The lights were high, and the screams got higher pitched. 

Zayn was running, scared of what was happening. He looked to the side and saw Louis running with a sword in his hands. Zayn forgot his in the tent, but he could fight with his hands. He trained for that a lot when he was a few years younger and now with the other guards. 

He was afraid but didn’t stop. When they arrived at the lights, they saw a little town a few minutes away from where they were. The lights seemed to be part of the town, but they still heard screams from a dragon near them.

“You stupid dragon,” said a voice.

The group looked at each other. 

“Shut up, stupid animal.”

Zayn walked in the direction of the voice. He couldn’t stand when someone was hurting a dragon. Once when he was little, he walked to the forest to play with his old sister and they found an injured dragon. They didn’t know what happened, but found a piece of wood and a rock near him. The dragon was beautiful, with blue scales, big brown eyes and so calm.

They took care of the dragon and now it was part of the army and one of his older sister’s favourite. They always played together and flew together. It was one of the most amazing dragons in the land.

When he was near the voice, he saw a boy, not older than them, screaming at the dragon.

“Hey you, what are you doing to the dragon?” asked Zayn without waiting for the others.

“Nothing, he is useless and it’s none of your business,” said the boy with a furious expression. “He is a bad dragon. Go get a life.”

“If you try to hurt him, then that makes it my business. I don’t care who you are. Okay?” 

“Not okay, what is wrong with you? Leave us alone.” 

Zayn looked at the dragon, it was a little one. Maybe two years old or less. The dragon was scared and so little, looking at the boy and making small noises. The boy left the branch he was holding in his right hand on the floor, and Zayn thought that was what made the dragon scream because the boy was hitting him.

“He is the dragon of our family and is always a disaster. We don’t want him anymore I tried to sell him on the market the other week. But nobody wanted him. He is a mess.” 

“Why don’t you want him? He wants to be with you because you are like his family to him. Don’t you understand that?” asked Zayn as the rest of the riders arrived.

Zayn looked to the side where Liam was looking at the dragon and at the boy with a confused expression.

“He is a disaster. My family want a good dragon. And besides that, again it is not your problem.”

“If you hurt a dragon, then it is our problem. Who are you?” asked Liam.

Zayn looked at Liam again. This time he was walking towards the dragon.

“Don’t touch him. I will call the guards if you do that and say that you tried to steal him,” screamed the boy.

“I’m the Prince of the Malik Kingdom. We are friends with your Royal family. Come on, call them. I can wait,” Zayn mocked.

The boy’s expression changed from angry to being scared. 

“And we are going to inform the Royal family about this,” said Liam.

“I don’t care, you can take him. He is not required any more in my house. We have another two dragons, big and strong ones,” the boy argued. 

He left them in the forest and ran towards the town. Liam was next to the dragon who was crying. He caressed his head and his wings. 

“It’s okay, you are safe now.”

“We need to take him with us,” said Liam. “ we need to take the dragon to the tents and see if he has any injuries, please.”

“Poor dragon, these people are stupid,” said Louis.

Zayn walked towards the dragon and waved at him with a smile. The dragon looked at them as if he was scared, but after a few minutes, he let them help him and they walked to the tents together.

“How are we going to take him with us?” asked James after they arrived back to the tents “I mean, we don’t have time to train him and wait for him to be ready.”

“He has a broken scale but he is okay,” said Julianna when he left the dragons side " One of us can fly with him or take him back home. Maybe we can ask for help from the Horan Kingdom. They can help us with him. He is still scared."

They talked about it and decided that the best option was to fly with him to the Horan Kingdom and wait until he was confident again and less stressed. Zayn saw Liam taking care of the dragon. It was a beautiful sight and he smiled. Liam was near the dragon, talking to him with a calming voice and caressing his wings, something most of the dragons seamed to love. 

He stayed like that for a few minutes, more than what was normal, smiling and looking at him. They still had all night to take care of him and see if he was okay. They organized the night so that they would take turns to look after the little one and then they went to sleep. 

Zayn did the first two hours and then Liam woke up to take over. In the morning, Julianna was the last one. Zayn was the last one to wake up a few minutes after Liam and Harry and they sat around the fire while the eggs cooked. 

Then they moved away and started walking to the tents to pack up when they heard a trumpet. They stayed quiet and heard another one, coming from the town near them. They heard another trumpet sound and then a song. 

“There seems to be a festival going on,” said James.

“Yes, and we have another hour till we need to leave. Louis and Harry please take care of the new dragon. Julianna, help James with the tents, and I’m going to help you. Let’s pack our things.” Said Liam with a smile.

Zayn finished with his bag and left the tent. Liam walked near him, but he didn’t look at him. After packing everything and rolling back the tents, they sat near the dragons while the new one was playing with Harry and a ball. The other dragons were looking at him with curiosity. It was a lovely scene.

The rest of the group sat near them, while they ate something and drank water. 

“We have a new dragon,” said Liam. “He is so cute. He needs a name. The boy didn’t say his name.”

“We can call him Green, he is so beautiful. Or maybe Ocean, love those names for dragons,” said Louis while eating a piece of nut.

“He is so little. I wonder what really happened to him. But he is safe now,” said Julianna. “What a cute dragon!”

“Yes, he is adorable,” said Zayn. “I can fly with him. I can be in charge and all. Once we arrive at the Horan castle, we can take care of his injuries and all that. He seems fine now.”

Liam looked at him, but didn’t say anything. Zayn thought he saw him smiling, but that must have been a shadow. He’d never saw him smile while looking at him in the last years.

“Dragons are beautiful, they deserve the world,” said Zayn. “When we arrive at the Horan Kingdom, I am the one speaking. They know me well and Niall and I are good friends.”

“I can explain what is happening. I’m the head of the trip. I’m the one in charge and also I can help you explain the mission and all” said Liam.

“Yes, I know, but I’m the one whose family is friends with their kingdom, and I’m sure they will recognize me even when it’s been some years since we saw each other and I don’t need your help.”

“I thought you two were good friends, besides that I want to help with the negotiations” said Liam in an annoying voice.

“Yes, that’s cool but” Zayn stood up. “There is no option. I’m not asking for your permission. I’m the Prince and I speak, not you. I don’t care if you don’t like it.”

Liam looked at him, took a deep breath and stood in front of him. 

“Or what? Are you going to leave me here, alone…fight with me? Well, try it and I want to help, it’s part of my job.”

“Please calm down, we are friends,” said Louis, standing up next to them. “Come on, Liam, he is the Prince. He speaks, not us. It’s okay, we can be with him and help with if he needs it.”

“Okay. Let’s move please.” said Liam.

Liam walked to the dragons while Zayn looked at him for a second. He wanted to cry. Not because he was angry, but because he was sad. He didn’t understand why, but that was what he was feeling. 

He managed to hold the tears in, but he needed a deep breath to move and speak to Louis. 

“I don’t understand him.” 

“Be gentle. I know we are all tense because of what is happening, but we need to focus. Trust me, he doesn’t hate you.” 

“And why is he acting like he hates me with passion?”

“He is like that, but he is the best dragon rider I’ve ever seen. The dragons love him and he is a really good fighter with the sword or his hands.”

Zayn smiled at his friend. Louis walked to Harry to help with the packing. And they gave each other a kiss and a hug, and stayed like that for a minute. 

Zayn missed having a partner. His first boyfriend was in high school during their last year, Noah. They lasted only a few months, but it was new and even after the fights and the misunderstandings they had, he still thought about him. The first person he kissed was Niall, when they were in their last year in high school and before he started dating Noah.

They were both curious and wanted to try it. They were in their shared bedroom and it was a little kiss. Then they had a few more kisses. His family didn’t have problems with that, and when they found out, they told him how much they loved him. 

It was just some kisses, and Zayn never felt anything romantic towards Niall, but it was an important moment. Then they went to college together where Niall met his first boyfriend and Zayn started dating another guy, Luke, for six months.

His last boyfriend was two years ago, when he left college and started living again at home. He dated a guy from the city. His family was noble and rich and the owners of one of the most important leather shops in the country. 

They dated for more than a year, but then they stopped feeling the same about each other. They broke up and remained friends until today.

Zayn walked towards Liam. They needed to talk and this was a good moment. They couldn’t travel like this to his friend house, because they would have problems forever, and they needed to focus.

“We need to talk.” Zayn wanted to be gentle, so he took a deep breath.

Liam looked at him but then turned around and continued with what he was doing.

“What is happening?” 

“Nothing” Zayn moved his hands while playing nervously with his fingers.

He saw Harry and Louis putting the leather protection on their dragon and then Harry walked to the new one, still without a name, to see if he was able to fly.

“Then, what do you want? We don’t have time.” 

“Can you stop doing that and look at me for once?” Zayn asked, almost screaming.

Liam stopped and turned to him. He took two steps towards him, then looked at him and waited.

“I’m not going to fly with you. I will go with the new one. I don’t care what you have to say, or to ask. I’m tired of your stupid forms. I’m always nice to you. When we return home, I will talk to my father and sister. I don’t want someone that hates me or my family as the head of the dragon army. Do you understand? Better be good till we arrive back home.”

“You can’t do that. I’m good at my job. I love it. And … I don’t hate you.” 

“Well, you have a really strange way of demonstrating things, let’s go.”

Zayn walked to the new dragon. He knew he was acting like a stupid boy and he wanted to fix things, but he was tired of Liam always acting like he hates him, like Zayn didn’t matter. He wanted to be with his friends, not with a person that hated him and all his actions.

Zayn patted the little dragon’s head. He was relaxed. 

“Hey little one, we are going to fly together,” said Zayn.

“I think it is better if we let him fly alone,” said Harry. “I think he is not ready.”

Zayn looked at Harry, sad and nervous again. 

“I don’t want to fly with Liam. There must be another option,” said Zayn.

“Why not? He is a good flyer and he loves his dragon. He will never hurt you. He is a professional,” said Harry.

“I’m tired of him, tired of his actions and his words. We were friends, best friends. I don’t know why he is like that and I’m tired of him.” said Zayn.

“There is no other option.” Zayn sat in front of the little dragon and Harry sat near him. “My kingdom is at risk. I should be thinking about that and not about his stupid behaviour towards me. I’m done with him. I’m not flying with him again.”

“We can change partners,” said James, who appeared near them. "I can fly with Liam and you can fly with Julianna if you want.” 

Zayn smiled at him, feeling the tension leave his shoulders. 

“That could be great, thanks. You really don’t mind?” 

“No, Liam and I are good friends. We live next to each other… it’s okay.” 

“What is okay?” asked Liam, surprising them.

“I’m going with you and Zayn is flying with Julianna.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I don’t want to fly with you again, that’s all.”

“We are not going to change anything. We have two more hours of flying to do. We don’t have time to arguing about it. Lets’ move.” said Liam.

“We do have time; otherwise I will go alone or without you,” said Zayn and walked to Julianna.

Some minutes later, they were all flying again. Zayn was with Julianna and the beautiful blue dragon. In front of them was Liam’s dragon with James and Liam leading them. The little dragon was next to Harry and Louis, flying with a happy expression. It was beautiful, and Zayn couldn’t wait to arrive back home and let him be one of the army dragons or one of his family ones. He wanted to protect him.

Two hours later, they saw the city and the castle in the distance were Niall lived with his family. It was a big city, the biggest city in the kingdom, and it was full of shops and companies that sold their products, including their famous cheeses, types of wool and their unique perfume, made with roses and wild orchids. 

Liam made a sign with his right hand and then with the left one, so all of them could see it and they started to descend. They landed in the forest outside the city, in a clear circle. Zayn took a deep breath when he was on solid ground, then he smiled and was thankful that the ride had finished.

He looked at Liam, who seemed sad. He caressed the dragon’s head and hugged her a little when James took the things down from the dragon and then he saw Harry and Louis talking while he took the bag with the gifts to the kingdom from the dragon.

He walked towards them, but before he could walk two steps, Liam started talking.

“We can stay here for some minutes, eat something and then some us go to the castle and the others stay here and take care of the dragons.” Liam looked at Zayn.

“Okay,” said Zayn. “I must be the one talking and maybe two of you can come with me and the other three stay here. The walk from here, I think, is half an hour long or maybe a little more. I’m not sure. It’s been a while since I came here. They don’t expect us, so we must announced our visit and wait for someone to pick us up from the entrance. Then one of the family hopefully Niall, will talk to us.”

“Yeah, I think that is a good plan,” said Louis. “I can go with you, if that’s okay.” 

“I was thinking that actually,” said Liam and immediately looked at Zayn. “Harry, Julianna and James should stay.”

Zayn looked at him in surprise. It must be the first time they agreed on something. After talking about the plan, they sat in a circle and ate. Harry talked to James and Liam, while Julianna was eating and listening to them.

“I’m worried about what is happening at home. I hope Julius doesn’t do anything until we come back with the Horan army and all. I’m scared,” said Zayn.

“They will wait. It’s an unwritten law of war. They must wait, you know. They give us time to respond, don’t worry; it will be okay.” said Louis.

“I’m not sure anymore. I need to do this. We need their help" For the first time in years, Zayn thought of what his family and his kingdom expected from him. It was too much, they didn’t have anything like this happening since he was born and he was scared. “I hope they will help us.”

“We are in this together, and this is going to be okay. I’m sure,” Louis patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Besides that, Liam is a good head of the army and the dragon riders. He is the best.” 

“I know, but I don’t want to have someone who hates me as the head of the army of my kingdom. I want someone that wants to stay with me, talk to me and be loyal to me. Including following my directions and not talking to me like I am a kid and don’t know what to say or how to behave.” 

“Liam is a good person. He is only doing his job.”

Zayn remembered that these were the same words his sister told him before leaving. 

Zayn looked at Liam. He was smiling and Zayn stared at his lips for a second. Then he looked at Harry next to him and to James. They were having a good conversation, all of them enjoying each other’s company, and Zayn wondered what it would be like to be next to Liam while he smiles. It’s been so long since they talk like that and were next to each other relax and happy, and he miss it a lot.

Zayn moved his head to the side, looking at the dragons. Some of them were drinking, others sleeping, and the little dragon was eating a piece of meat Liam gave him earlier. He was cute and Zayn wanted to be back at home to be with Brave. He was always there cheering him up, making him feel loved and happy.

“Let’s go, the sooner we start, the sooner it’s all going to end. Come on,” said Zayn.

He stood up followed by Louis. They walked to the others and all of them started packing their things, ready to move. They changed into some common robes and cleaned their boots and their hands. They needed to look like regular citizens. 

“See you later,” said Louis and gave Harry a hug and a deep kiss.

“Take care, I love you.” Harry kissed him back.

“I love you too. Take care of the dragons.” 

“Maybe we will be back for dinner,” announced Zayn, “take care and be careful. See you soon.”

They took the papers the map and the letter from King Julius and the one his father wrote before leaving with them. They took the gifts, but ended up leaving them behind, because they were heavy to travel with and because they could have alerted others to their presence. 

They walked to the city. A big stone arch with flowers in blue and white welcomed them. It was the colour of the kingdom along with a blue crown and a heart underneath it. They passed the arch and found more flowers in the streets, in the houses and the buildings. Some of them also had blue and white ribbons. 

“What are they celebrating?” asked Louis confussed.

“I don’t know. I thought they didn’t have public festivities in spring,” answered Zayn.

“Maybe they have some new public holidays, or something else,” said Liam.

“Maybe,” said Louis. “This is so beautiful, the flowers and all that.”

The city was covered in decorations. As they walked to the castle to meet the royal family, they passed a market. A lot of people were talking, some shopping and others just looking at the things they could buy. 

They saw boxes full of bread, others with tea and fruits. On other market stalls, they saw books, parchments of different sizes and ink. In the last two stalls, they found flowers and ceramics. When they left the market behind, Zayn looked back. The people and the products made a curious mix of colours and it was beautiful. Everybody was smiling and happy, and he loved it.

“I’ve heard they have something big planned for the next month,” they heard a young girl saying.

“Yeah, and I hope they come to the city, so we can meet him in person. I’m so happy for our prince,” said a young boy.

“Me too,” said again the same girl.

The three of them looked at the teengers and then at each other, surprised and intrigued.

“I want to know the news, now. I’m curious,” said Liam.

“Me too,” Louis said with a laugh.

Zayn didn’t say anything while they walked to the castle. He didn’t know of any big news. Maybe something happened the last two days or maybe the Horan family wasn’t as close to his family as they thought. 

Zayn started shaking at little when they arrived at the castle. The towers had flags flying over them and more flowers and ribbons appeared on the castle balconies. The castle’s front door, a big wooden door with drawings of important historical moments, welcomed them.

They walked to the guard at the entrance.

“We need to see the Royal family today. It is important,” said Zayn.

“They aren’t available without a prior appointment. You need to announce your visit in advance. Sorry, but you can’t enter,” said the guard.

“I’m Zayn Malik, Prince of the Malik kingdom.” Zayn showed him one of the papers and the ring on his right hand, which confirmed his words. “I need to see the Royal family now. There is an emergency in my country.” 

The guard was surprised. He looked at Zayn and immediately looked down, as a sign of loyalty, recognizing him.

“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty, but we didn’t know you were coming. I’ll let them know that you are here.” The guard ran into the castle.

Zayn looked at Louis and Liam, who were smiling.

“That was amazing,” said Liam. “I hope they can help us”. 

“Me too,” said Zayn. “I can’t believe we are doing this. I’m a little nervous.”

“It’s okay,” Louis patted his arm. “They are good people, they will help us.” 

“I hope so.”

They heard steps and then the same guard appeared in front of them.

“You can enter. They are waiting for you in the main room. I will lead the way,” said the guard looking at the floor without making eye contact.

Then he turned around and they started walking inside the castle. The walls were made of stone and the air was cooler than outside, which was refreshing and relaxing. The corridor was long and they saw portraits on the walls and some paintings. 

Some servants passed near them, but they were busy. Some were almost running, and others looked at them, just to avert their eyes seconds later. Zayn looked at Liam, who was tense, and then at Louis who was more relaxed, but his lips were pressed in a thin line as if he was waiting for the next thing to happen.

The guard stopped and turned to face them when they reached a wooden door without ornaments. There was just a sign that said “Meeting Room”.

“Wait here please.” The guard looked at Louis and Liam and walked inside the room.

A minute later he came out again and held the door open for them to enter.

“You can enter. His Majesty, the Prince, is waiting for you,” the guard said.

Zayn was the first one to enter the room. Inside was a big table with lots of chairs and in one of them was Niall. His friend stood up and ran to him the second he saw him.

“Zayn” Niall ran towards him to hug him. “I can’t believe you are here. What is going on? The guard told me something about an emergency in your country.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t advise you about our visit, but we are on a secret trip. King Julius, from the Eslanda Kingdom, our neighbours, threatened to invade us. We need your help.”

“That’s horrible, why would he do that? We didn’t have any news about it,” Niall said as they sat around the table.

“He threatened us two days ago, before we started the secret trip. His father retired, we think, and his heir is now King Julius, he was always stubborn and stupid.”

“Yeah, I remember him. I don’t like him,” said Niall. “I’m so sorry about that. We will help you, of course.”

“Thank you so much,” said Zayn and he wanted to hug him. “You’re the best. I can’t believe this is happening. We have some things for you.”

Louis and Liam gave Zayn the letters and the rest of the papers, and Zayn put them on the table for Niall to read. 

“Did he say what he wants?" Niall asked them. “There must be something to stop him.”

“Yeah, he did say it. He wants our dragons because they are better than his. He wants our land, our leather and our people. He wants to take everything from us. I hate him so much,” said Zayn with a grimace.

“Our army can go with you back to your kingdom. They will fight by your side and me as well, if you need it. We are in this together, we are friends,” Niall said.

Zayn smiled, feeling relaxed. They talked about what they were going to do and were working on a plan, when Niall’s parents appeared in the room to take part in the discussion. Then they drew the path on a map, leaving circles where they could place guards and where the army could be positioned between their lands. Liam made a few suggestions about places and which arms they should use.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Niall said. “We can do that. We need warriors in all places and more on the border, but we can place them near your castle and where your family wants them and needs them. They are ready to fight.”

“Yeah, we should do that,” Liam said. “Here is a good place too.”

Liam pointed to one of the castle walls just when the door opened, and a young man with brown hair and big eyes appeared in the room. He looked at Niall and they shared a smile. The young man walked towards them and sat next to Niall.

“Oh” Niall laughed a little. “Sorry, this is Shawn, my fiancé.” He turned to Shawn. ”They are my friends. Zayn is the Prince of the Malik kingdom and Louis and Liam are part of his army of dragon riders”

“Hi, nice to meet you,” said Shawn with a smile.

“Same, I’m so happy for you,” said Zayn, “What a surprise!”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you anything in our last letter. I wanted to tell everyone, but it was a secret for a long time. I told my family last year and I was scared someone would find out.” 

Zayn laughed. Niall always did things in a different way. That was part of his personality and something that Zayn always found funny, making their lives an adventure.

“It’s okay, I’m so glad you found someone. It’s not easy when you are a prince,” said Zayn.

“True,” said Niall. “Shawn is a poet, he writes beautiful things.” 

“That’s amazing,” said Louis. “I love poetry and Harry does too.” 

“I can give you my last book. Well, it’s just a little pile of papers attach with yarn and a piece of leather, but I have some copies left.” said Shawn.

“I would love to read them,” said Louis.

“Yeah, me too,” said Zayn and they stayed in silence for a while whilst the servants gave them some drinks.

“We are going to marry in a year. I’m so excited. I feel like a teenager in love again,” said Niall, laughing.

“That’s why there are a lot of decorations in the city,” said Zayn. “OMG, you announced it. That’s amazing.”

Niall and Shawn shared a smile and a look.

“The invitation is on its way for you and your family. It will arrive tomorrow if I’m not mistaken. What a moment to send an invitation. The ceremony will take place next year. That’s why the country is full of decorations, especially in the main city. We announced it two days ago.”

“Congrats, I’m so happy for you!” said Zayn. “I wish we could celebrate our victory too. I want to fight Julius and make him pay for threatening us.”

“We will,” Niall said and pat him on the arm. “Together we can.”

Niall’s parents agreed with them that two kingdoms fighting together are stronger and so much more powerful. They could do it. 

After talking for the rest of the morning, they left them to attend their obligations. Niall and Shawn went to talk to the army, along with his mother and his father. His two brothers went to talk to the guards and then joined them in the armoury with the army and the dragons, ready to practice and get prepared.

Louis excused himself to go the bathroom, leaving Zayn and Liam alone. It was a tense moment until they heard a song outside and Liam started talking.

“I don’t hate you,” he said, surprising Zayn.

“Yeah, you have a weird way of showing it.”

“I’m sorry, I really respect you. I think you are a great leader and a good prince. I’m sorry for all I said.” 

“Thanks it means so much to me that you said that. We were best friends when we were teenagers. I always think about it and what made you change so much.” 

“I…”

In that moment, Louis returned to the room as well as Niall and two of the best guards of his army. Zayn and Liam started talking about other things, leaving the conversation like that. Zayn wanted to know the answer and looked at Liam, but he avoided his eyes. 

Zayn felt a little sad, but didn’t know why. He wanted to talk to him. It was nice to be alone and near him. Maybe he needed to think about it more and fix it.

.

Two nights later, they arrived home during the night with a letter from the Horan family, promising their army and their kingdom to help protect them. A few hours after they got there, part of the Horan army arrived at their kingdom and built forts in some cities and along the border, ready to protect and attack if that became necessary.

Half a day later, Niall and the rest of the army arrived while Zayn, his family, Liam and part of their army were in a meeting, talking about their next move towards Julius and his army and what to do to protect the citizens and the dragon quarters. 

Zayn saw Niall in the corridor, walking towards the entrance to meet him. He was exhausted.

“Hey, I was going to meet you at the door. I’m glad you arrived so soon. Thank you so much, this means the world to us. They are waiting for you at the meeting.”

Hi Z, I’m glad I’m able to be here to help. I’m so tired from the trip. Shawn is at the door. He said he loves the city from what we could see from above. He is so cute.”

“He is great. I read his poems the other day, and they are amazing. I love them. Can’t wait to tell him.”

“That’s so nice of you. Shawn will love to know it.” 

“What will I love to know?” asked Shawn behind them.

Niall turned around and they intertwined their hands before Niall kissed his check.

“That he loves your poems.”

“Ok, really? That’s great, thanks.”

“I love them, they are so beautiful and the feelings are so well written. Congrats!”

“Wow, thank you so much, this means a lot.” 

Shawn gave Zayn a little hug and they walked to the meeting. They spent the next two hours drinking water and talking about the army and what they needed to do to make sure they kept abreast of every development. 

.

Two days later, Zayn was in the quarters with Brave, when they heard a noise. It was a trumpet and then a big scream, a dragon scream. Zayn ran to the training field and heard more screams. This time the commotion came from the citizens and the noise of battle.

He saw Liam in the other side of the field running towards him. Their relationship was a little better now because Liam started being nicer to him. Not what he wanted exactly, but so much better than before. He was part of the meetings, and had a laugh with Niall more than once during their dinners together. 

One night, Liam was talking to Niall, Shawn, Harry, Louis and James on one of the balconies, when Zayn arrived. They shared a look and Zayn could see a little smile from him while he stood between Niall and Harry. 

They talked about the war, the citizens and then they started drinking whiskey and talking about their lives and jobs. 

Shawn told them about his family and why he loves writing. Niall talked about his years at college with Zayn and Louis, where he met him. Liam talked about what he loves most about training with dragons. 

His eyes were bright and his smile was beautiful when he talked about his dragon and the rest of the army of dragons. His beautiful dragon had been so little when they met and they trained together since then. 

Now, in that moment, Liam’s face was worried and the bright eyes were a thing of the past. He was scared when he arrived at Zayn’s side.

They heard more noises and another scream from a dragon. Then they saw a big dragon flying above them. 

“They attacked us some minutes ago. Julius is with the army and he is fighting with our people,

“Liam announced, running to him.

“What?? He said two weeks. That was part of the deal – even if it’s an unwritten law, in the past everyone respect it. This is unfair and an offense to this kingdom and us. We need to fight him - now. Where is Niall?” said Zayn.

“He is in the castle, he was in the meeting room an hour ago talking with other guards,” said Liam.

“Okay, let’s prepare our dragons and fight.” 

“Yes, let’s go.” 

They smiled at each other and ran to their dragons. Zayn kissed Brave’s head and patted his wings. 

“Everything will be okay. We are going to make him regret this decision today,” Zayn said and put the protection leather over Brave. Then he put on the saddle, took his sword from the cupboard and took his dragon to the training field. 

Other dragon trainers, including Harry and Louis, were there and they flew into the battle while he was still sitting on his dragon.

“Let’s go, Brave, let’s go!” screamed Zayn.

He looked to the floor, searching for Liam and he saw him running to the centre to started flying. A moment later, Zayn was next to him in the air and the wind hit their skins. He saw his sister fighting in the battle, and his father and mother, all of them protecting their people.

All in all, Zayn had never been as proud of his family and kingdom as he was in that moment. He loved them so much.

He fought off some riders until he arrived where he wanted to be, in front of Julius.

“Hey you stop this, now,” shouted Zayn.

Julius wore the uniform of his army with a big crown and an eagle underneath it. With a big smile, he looked at Zayn and tried to fight him, but he was too far away and only fought the air. Zayn smiled this time, Julius looked ridiculous and stupid.

“Your kingdom will be mine, and what you want doesn’t matter. You are no longer the Prince, little one.” Scream Julius.

Zayn hated when people called him little. He was tall and strong and he hated people saying otherwise. But he tried to breath and then he looked at Julius more relaxed, saw Liam arriving behind Julius and made a big cut in his opponent’s arm. Then one of Julius’ soldiers saw him and they started fighting. A few minutes later, Liam made a move and the other person fell to the street underneath them. 

Then another two soldiers started fighting him and they made him lose his balance, so he almost fell to the floor, when Shawn arrived at his side to help him. Zayn focussed on his target. He flew next to Julius and they started to fight again. 

His army helped him and they caught Julius before he could make his move. Zayn looked to his right side, and saw Niall fighting two enemies at the same time. Harry and James fought together against two enemies and then he saw Liam with a big cut on his arm and another on his shoulder. 

He looked tired but also angry. His dragon was doing a great job and for a moment, when Liam was looking to his side to see what was happening, another enemy attacked him from behind and made a horrible cut on his neck. Liam looked to his front and then fell forward onto his dragon. Zayn saw someone had attack him from behind.

He wanted to help, but there were a lot of enemy soldiers around them and he was also trying to fight them off. He stayed where he was, unable to stop thinking about Liam, about why that happened to him. He was desperately worried about him, more than about himself. 

He fought another opponent when one female soldier from his army arrived next to him.

“Fight him and make him regret coming here,” said Zayn, pointing to Julius.

“Of course, my Prince,” said the woman.

He flew towards Liam, but someone took the head dragon rider and Zayn started panicking thinking that Julius and his army were taking Liam to his kingdom as a prisoner. Zayn flew towards them, until he saw someone from his castle, a guard, on the floor and another in the air helping him and he breathed again. 

After two more hours of fighting, Zayn went down again, flying until he found a safe place to leave Brave. He ran to the front tent, while the rest of the army still fought behind him. In his mind, the only image was Liam falling onto his dragon, someone attacking him from behind and the look in his eyes while he fell. 

When he arrived at the tent, he couldn’t stop thinking of Liam. He wanted to know if he was okay and if maybe they could see each other. He entered the tent and searched for his friends, but none of them were there so he sat on a table alone.

He took a deep breath. He knew he needed to keep fighting. He wanted to eat something and sleep, but they were at war and he didn’t have time to relax. He wanted to drink water, but there wasn’t any. Then he moved to another table and a man sat near him and offered him a piece of cheese and bread. He was crying and eating. What a mixture of feelings. 

Zayn looked around the tent. To his right there was a group of women and men talking, all of them worried, some with injuries and with a glass in their hands. At the other side, there were people like him drinking something, others were eating. A man was crying while he drank a glass of whisky. 

They could hear the noises from the battle, the screams, the cries, the swords fighting and the dragons’ screaming. Then they heard a very loud noise and saw fires from the dragons above them. Zayn looked at the scene in front of him, the people and the food, while the image of Liam in the battle was still in his mind. He needed to concentrate because his country needed him but he couldn’t stop thinking about Liam. 

So he took a deep breath, ate a piece of cheese with bread, drank some water he found in another table and ran back to the battle. When he was fighting Julius and one of his guards, he saw Louis in front of him, fighting with one of Julius’ men. He made his enemy fall to the ground and flew to him. 

“Louis!” screamed Zayn.

Louis turned to him, his expression tense, as he continued to fight. Zayn helped him and in a matter of seconds, they were alone while the rest of his army took care of the enemies.

“Did you see Liam?” asked Zayn. “I haven’t seen him in hours.”

“I don’t know anything. I’ve been fighting since we started. I’m exhausted. Maybe he is in the castle. Someone definitely took him from here.” 

Zayn felt like he had a stone in his chest, unable to think clearly and breathe. He wanted to know something about Liam. He wanted to be near Liam. 

“I’m worried. Where are Harry and James?” asked Zayn.

“I don’t know where James is, but Harry is in the front tent with Julianna. He has an arm injury, and wanted to have a break. His dragon is with him. This is a mess.”

Julius was on their right just when Zayn saw him fighting with James. They were near each other and their dragons were screaming at each other. That was a horrible image. The dragons were beautiful and he hated seeing them fight like that.

“James is fighting with Julius,” said Zayn.

They tried to help James. When they were behind Julius, the King tried to make them fall off their dragons, but more people from his army appeared to protect him while he screamed.

“You are going to pay for this,” screamed Julius.

“You are the one who is going to pay for this,” James screamed back. “You are the one losing, not us.”

After fighting for another hour, Louis flew to a safe place and took a little break. Zayn wanted to fight for his kingdom, but the images of Liam were still stuck in his mind and he couldn’t concentrate. 

“Brother” His sister appeared near him. “Go have a rest. I’m here. I will secure the kingdom. Don’t worry.”

“Is the family okay?” asked Zayn. 

“Yes, all of them are in the castle. Father and mother are back with them, protecting them. They need us.”

Zayn looked at his sister for a second, proud. He was tired, but ready to fight with all the people around them. His sister’s dragon was protected with the leathers and the metal helmet and he and Brave shared a look. Zayn smiled for a second which was a beautiful moment in a horrible place. 

He fought a man on his right and then took a little break. He wanted to know what was happening with Liam. He wanted to know if he could do something to help him or maybe talk to him for a second.

He left Brave with the rest of the dragons and then returned to the tent. He searched for his friends, but he only saw James in a corner drinking something and before he could say anything, he went out and disappeared from his view.

Zayn ran outside to the dragons and saw Harry there with a piece of cloth around his injured arm. 

“Harry! How are you?” asked Zayn, running towards him.

“Hi, better. I will join the rest of the army in a few minutes. I’m just checking if our dragons are okay and eating something.” 

“You don’t need to fight again. It’s okay. Did you see Liam? Is he okay?” 

“He is back in the castle.” At that moment, Niall appeared next to them. “The meds are taking care of him. I think he is better, but I’m not sure.”

“Hey, I want to fight Julius and imprison him. He deserves it. We need to capture him,” said Niall. “Shawn is still up.”

“I want this to end too,” said Harry. “This is horrible.”

“Me too, I want my country safe and he deserves to be imprisoned forever. I will be in charge of that. Don’t worry. Thanks for all your hard work. I’m going to end this now. Too many hours, this needs to end now. All these people need protection, let’s go.” 

Zayn patted Niall on the shoulder and took his dragon again. they fought side by side with his soldiers. All the riders were next to him and once they distracted Julius’ army they took advantage of it and flew towards them. They fought for some minutes. 

Zayn cut his own hand and made a bad cut in one of Julius’ cheeks, making him scream with anger and tiredness. After some more minutes fighting Julius, he moved his head to the right side and Zayn hit his hand with his sword, making him scream again. King Julius turned to him with a worried expression. A guard tried to protect him, but a woman from his own army fought him and Zayn was free again to capture him. 

Zayn flew towards him, ready to capture Julius and make him pay for all the things that had happened and for all the things he did to them. When he was next to him, Niall appeared on the other side, in front of him. 

They shared a look, knowing exactly what to do next. They flew towards him with their swords in hand. Niall nail his sword on his back, making him scream. He tried to turn around, but Zayn was faster and he put his sword against his neck, touching his skin. He hated Julius since they were teenagers, since they played together in their castles and went to class together. He was kind to him because he knew they needed to be like that to avoid problems between their kingdoms. But that wasn’t a problem now. He could capture him or kill him. He could make him pay for all his decisions in the last weeks. 

He really hated him.

“Tell your army to stop fighting now,” screamed Zayn.

“I don’t want to. We are fighting you and we are winning.”

Zayn took a deep breath. He didn’t want to think about it.

“You don’t deserve to win. Your country is mine,” said Julius. 

“You are crazy…insane. Tell them to stop,” Zayn ordered, “or I will sink my sword into your body. Do you understand? You are in no place to give out orders. Do it.”

Niall sank his sword a little more into Julius’ back, making him press his lips together to avoid screaming or crying. He moved to the right a little bit when someone flew next to them, but his sword didn’t move, not even a little bit. 

Zayn looked Julius in the eyes, ready to do whatever he needed to do to stop that war. 

“They are not going to hear me, it doesn’t matter what I order them to do,” said Julius. 

“Do it now, you stupid idiot - now!!” screamed Niall. “There are more of us and we are winning, remember that. We carry this on with more blood and more sacrifices from our armies, or we can end this now and take you to the castle to talk and negotiate. You decide,” screamed Niall.

Zayn bitted his lips to avoid smiling. He loved what Niall said. His mind travelled again to the moment Liam fall onto his dragon and he felt nervous in his stomach and tense in his neck and the rest of the body, but he didn’t move. 

Zayn thought of Liam again with the urge to cry and to run to him. He needed to hug him again and end their stupid problems. He needed to tell him how much he loved him, how important he was in his life, and for the army.

Julius looked to the right without moving his head and looked at the soldiers fighting. A man from his army was fighting two women of Zayn’s kingdom and they were winning. When the man fell to the ground, Julius pressed his lips more together and stared at the rest of the people fighting. 

He could have ended it, but he preferred to stay silent. He was such a stupid person in charge of a kingdom. He didn’t know what could happen if he was captured during his reign. But Julius had sisters and a younger brother and even uncles. Zayn could only hope that none of them wanted to start a war with them again, because he would end their reign and invade their kingdom if they tried to start something like that again. 

He would fight with all he had.

“Down your weapons and stop fighting,” screamed Julius as loud as he could.

Some of the soldiers around them stopped that second, but he needed to scream his command three more times to be heard by all. His army spread the word and they stopped fighting Zayn’s people. The next minute three riders from Zayn’s army captured Julius with the help of two guards on the ground.

They took him to the castle, where they found Louis and Harry resting, Harry had injured his leg and his arm and Louis his arm and neck, but they looked fine. 

Zayn brought Julius to the room where his father was with the rest of the family and then they brought him to another room, handcuffed him and made him sit on a chair with chains around his waist, so he couldn’t move. They called some of the guards and the most important people from the council, who would decide his fate. Then Zayn ran again to the corridor, after his father let him go out. 

“Did you see Liam?” asked Zayn when he walked near Harry and Louis, who were sitting on the corridor.

“Yes, he is inside, but he is still sleeping. His injury wasn’t serious but the doctor told him to rest. But you can enter… he is the first on the right side,” said Louis.

“How are you two? What happened?” 

“An enemy soldier tried to push me off my dragon. She is okay, but I got a cut. Nothing serious, I’m okay,” said Harry.

“I’m okay too, don’t worry. Go see him,” Louis said with a bright smile. ”And remember to talk to him when he wakes up. You need to talk about it.”

Zayn smiled and bit his lip, then he looked at his friends and that joke he didn’t like… or maybe he loved it. He needed to clear his thoughts.

He walked to the room and found Liam resting on his bed, but he was awake. He looked at him and Zayn smiled. They needed to talk, but he didn’t want to make Liam move or make him tired.

“Hi, I thought you were sleeping, how are you?” 

“I’m okay. You don’t need to come, but… thanks. How did it all end?”

“We won.” Zayn sat next to him on a chair to talk. “We captured Julius and he is with my father, my mother, guards and the council. I really want to see his face during the sentence.”

“We won?”

Zayn was smiling. “Yes, I’m so happy.”

Zayn saw the injurie to his leg and his back, but Liam moved without problems and sat up in the bed.

“I can leave you to rest, we can talk later,” Zayn said.

“No…wait. I’m sorry for being so stupid with you these past weeks… or maybe years. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. The important part is that you are okay and we can be friends and talk and stay together,” Zayn said. 

He didn’t want to force Liam to be with him or to say something he didn’t feel or want. 

“No, it wasn’t….” 

“When we were teenagers, we were friends… I always wondered what happened that made you change your mind. Your behaviour was weird and I missed you… so much these past years. You were my best friend, our last night was fun and we had a good time. What happened?”

Liam looked to the other side. 

“I…I was in love with you. I still am, I think… and I convinced myself that I didn’t have any chance with you and it was better to be friends. But I couldn’t do it, so I think I started hating you because I was stupid and an idiot. A friend, an ex-friend told me that you would never be with me, not even for a night and that you were nice because you have to be like that. Now I understand that’s not true. But I chose the wrong side. I’m sorry. I love this country and your family so much. I was stupid.“ Liam rubbed his eyes and tried to hold back his tears.

Zayn didn’t say anything for a long minute, thinking of what Liam told him. He was trying to work out what to answer and if his feelings were right. Then he looked at Liam and smiled. He knew he wanted to be friends again, to be best friends if they could and he wanted more and maybe he was in love with him too. He thought he loved Liam, but his feelings were a little messed up in that moment.

“I want to be your friend. I miss our days together, laughing and all that.”

“Me too.” 

“And the rest of my feelings are a mess, a little in chaos,” said Zayn and they laughed. “But I’m sure that you are important to me and we can… end this fight and let things go the way they need to be. I think I’m in love with you too… it’s just that everything is complicated. Let’s finish this war… first.”

They looked at each other and smiled.

-

A year later

Zayn rolled over in bed and opened his eyes. The blue and white flowers on the night table welcomed him and he rolled over again when he felt a pair of arms hugging him from behind. He found Liam’s eyes in front of him, looking at him with a relaxed expression and a big smile.

“Good morning, darling,” said Liam.

“Good morning to you too,” said Zayn with a little laugh.

After the war, they imprisoned Julius in their dungeons. He was still in his prison under the castle, and things started to get back to normal with the passing of every day. Zayn and his family helped the country and the citizens with their business and their homes They also let the dragon they found in the forest, the little one, be part of their army. Now he was in the family quarters with the other dragons they have, ncluding Brave and his sister provate dragon. He also has a new name, blue. 

The rest of the opposing army returned home and Julius had a trial. After that, his family had a meeting with him and he wanted to make a deal and to take him home. The next in the line to the throne was his brother Lucius and then his sister Claudia. 

Julius’ family tried to give the Malik family gold, other possessions and even part of their country. But they didn’t accept any of that. They wanted him in their prison under their castle for killing his people, for threatening their life’s and for trying to invade them. 

After a long week they returned home, and Julius had a meeting with his brother before he left for home. He was going to be imprisoned for twenty years. After that, they would be able to take him home, under the rule that he would never be king or prince again. They would be able take him to their castle and be part of the family, but nothing else. Otherwise, there would be another war.

Liam kissed him and Zayn hugged him back. They had started dating a month after it all ended. The first time they kissed each other was under the sky in the gardens after a dinner with their friends and it was beautiful, after that his friends appeared behind them with some drinks and they stayed together for the rest of the night. 

It turned out Louis and Harry knew that Liam had feelings for him. That was why they had always told him that Liam didn’t hate him, and that they knew there was a reason. They talked about it more in the first months when they had a lot of dates. During the first six months of their relationship, they saw each other every day. It was exciting.

Now they were in the Horan Kingdom, ready to be a part of the wedding and enjoying their time with their friends and have a funny day. 

“I can’t believe it’s been a year. A lot of things happened since then!” said Liam.

“Yes, and you are the best of all of them,” Zayn said and kissed him.

They stayed in bed kissing for a few minutes until they heard a knock at the door. A voice announced their breakfast and they told them to wait. 

They sat on the bed, combed their hair with their hands and straightened out their clothes. 

“We can go to the main room,” said Zayn. 

“The Prince said you can rest until eleven, then the ceremony will start and they need you in the gardens. If you need something just ring the bell from the wall. Like always,” said the voice.

They were at Niall and Shawn’s wedding, in their castle. Everybody was nervous and they thanked their friends for letting them stay in bed longer. They didn’t have anything else to do, apart from kissing and enjoying their time together.

They spent the morning in their room talking and eating breakfast. At some point Zayn took a strawberry from the bowl of fruit and put it in his mouth, bit off a little and then looked at Liam who was drinking tea. 

Zayn moved next to him and kissed his lips. Liam returned the kiss and left his tea near him. The cup was almost empty, but he put it on the night table with so much care. Then he hugged Zayn a little and broke the kiss. 

They moved a little so Zayn end up sitting on Liam’s lap and kissing him again. They stayed there for a few seconds. Then Liam broke the kiss and left one on Zayn’s neck, another on his check and his lips again.

They lay slowly on the bed, pressing their bodies together, wanting to feel more skin. Zayn moved and took off his t-shirt and then he did the same to his partner’s clothes, removing his trousers so they were just in their underwear.

“I love you,” said Zayn and kissed him again.

“I love you too, so much. I love you more each day,” Liam said and kissed him.

It was a deep kiss. They hugged each other and after some minutes they took off their underwear. They rolled in bed so Liam was on top of Zayn. He kissed some of his tattoos, his chest, his arms, his neck and then went down to his waist. 

“Where is the lube?” asked Liam.

“In the bag, inside the inside right pocket. It’s a blue bottle.”

Liam took the lube and returned to the bed, while Zayn was touching himself. Liam pushed his hand away and opened the bottle. They kissed and then Zayn intertwined their legs, in a mix of skin and sheets. 

Zayn looked at Liam while biting his lips. He loved those moments, but he didn’t want to wait anymore. They didn’t have much time until someone would come to take them because they needed to be at the wedding reception in the gardens. Their friends would ask for them and that wasn’t what they wanted. 

Liam left a kiss on the tip of his partner’s erection and then put the rest in his month and started moving back and forth. 

“Omg, I can’t wait to feel you inside of me. Please, Liam, come on.” 

Liam stopped moving and sat on the bed while he put some lube on his fingers before he slipped one of them between his partner’s arse cheeks. Then he started moving, while Zayn grabbed the sheets on the bed and started moaning. 

Liam moved faster and after a few seconds he added a second finger and then a third one a few minutes later. He started scissoring them and then he stopped, taking Zayn by surprised.

“I love you and your fingers. Omg…”

“I love you too,” Liam said with a smile. 

They kissed and Liam put his knees on the bed. Zayn spread his legs and he shifted himself to his boyfriend’s entrance and began to getting inside of him slowly. Then he waited a few seconds.

Zayn put his legs around Liam’s waist and they started moving slowly and then faster. It was their rhythm, the one they loved and enjoyed the most. 

Zayn pressed his feet to Liam’s bum to make him go faster, then they intertwined their hands and after a moment Liam grabbed his hips so he could ride him better. 

“Don’t stop… please.” Beg Zayn.

“Fuck… I love this feeling “ Liam said moaning “You are so beautiful… fuck.”

They kissed and Liam hugged him. They stayed like that, hugging each other and being one for one more minute. 

“I’m going to come…fuck. I love this feeling. I love you,” said Zayn.

“Me too… I love you. I can’t wait anymore.” 

“Please… fill me. Come on. I want it.”

Liam grabbed his hips again, moving back and forward. Making his partner moaning louder than before then they could feel their orgasms in their skin and their bodies and after a few seconds they lay on the bed trying to catch their breaths covered in sweat and come and happy. They looked at each other and smiled. Then they shared a kiss and took a shower before getting out of the room for the wedding.

They heard voices and a song from outside and when they left, everything was decorated with flowers and the smell was amazing. They walked to the gardens and saw Harry and Louis kissing on a corner. 

They walked towards the rest of the people and their friends joined them just some minutes later. 

“I can’t believe it’s been a year since it all started,” said Harry. “I’m so happy for them. It’s amazing that we stopped everything. “

“Yeah, it’s all in the past. We really are a great army and a great alliance. The best one,” said Zayn and they laughed.

“True,” said Louis. “Friendships can build empires. And love too,” Louis said with a smile, looking at them. 

Zayn ignored him but he knew that it was true. He and Liam had dated for four months when their family found out about their relationship. Zayn had been a little nervous as he knew he must marry someone with power, someone with a title. Or that was what his family had always told him. 

But his family loved Liam, even when they weren’t friends and they were happy, so happy. His sister made a few jokes about them, especially about his brother being with someone he said he hated in the past. But everything was lovely and beautiful. His family accepted Liam so they could marry some day and live together as a couple.

His father asked them a few questions, knowing that there were a few important things to discuss if that was going to be forever. After a few days, and a few discussions, meals together and some jokes, most of them from his sister, they finally became an official couple to the country and they announced it on the news. 

Now everything was easy and they spent a lot of time together. They trained together and they slept together almost every night in the castle and that was better than any other thing Zayn could think of. He loved hugging Liam in bed and waking up next to him.

The music started and Niall appeared in front of all the guests, wearing a beautiful white suit with stitched flowers in blue and some details in gold which matched the ring on his finger and the crown on his head.

When Shawn appeared next him, he wasn’t wearing a crown or anything blue, just a white suit with details in gold and a big smile. They were both smiling, brightening the scene and the place. 

Zayn put his right hand into Liam’s and looked at him. He wanted to get married Liam. Sonner rather than later really, but he knew he needed to wait until they were back in their country and they had started living together, about which he was very excited.

Zayn remembered his sister’s wedding last month and then later the coronation, where he and Liam sat in the first row of the room to watch the ceremony with everyone else. His sister was now the ruler of the Malik Kingdom, and she was doing an amazing job. The people loved her and their parents could have the break they deserved and travel the world, as they had always wanted to do since they got married so many years ago. 

Zayn turned his face to the newly wedded couple again. He was happy for his friend. They looked amazing. After the vows and the kiss, Niall put a necklace full of blue flowers around Shawn’s neck and they shared another kiss, welcoming him officially into the family and the world of royalty. Then the ceremony ended when they walked outside to the gardens where everybody stood up, and started talking and walking to the table to drink and have their meal. 

The sun was still in the sky when they finished their feast a few hours later and Zayn intertwined his hand with Liam’s again and walked around the gardens to a quiet place. They saw Harry and Louis kissing behind some small trees and they stopped in a corner with a little bench on their left. 

“This was beautiful,” said Liam. “Shawn is amazing. I’m so happy for Niall.”

“Me too…they are perfect for each other. I’m happy for them, they deserve this,” said Zayn. “But to change the topic to something much more interesting…” Zayn kissed him and Liam looked at him with surprise. 

“What do you want to talk about? What idea do you have?” 

Zayn kiss him again, this time more slowly. He hugged him with two hands, his palms caressing his back through the clothes. Then he broke the kiss and caressed his nose with his. 

“I don’t know if you want it or even think like me… but I want to move in with you. When we get back home, I want to spend all my days near you. I want to sleep with you at night and wake up with you by my side. I love you. I want to live with you. What do you think?”

Liam kissed him for a second and then looked at him with a bright smile.

“I want that as well. I was hoping you would ask me that. I didn’t know how to tell you that I want it. Yes, I want to live with you. We can live in my house. It’s small, but I love it,” Liam said. 

“Or we can live in the castle, if you want,” said Zayn. 

Liam’s eyes widened, as if Zayn had said something crazy or amazing. 

“Really? Are you sure? I think it’s better if we don’t have your family so near that they can hear us at night,” said Liam with a low voice, “but I love the castle.” 

Zayn started laughing. 

“Not in my room, stupid. There is a part of the castle that we don’t use. There are too many bedrooms and far too much space. We can live there. There are a few rooms and we can choose the ones we want. We can have our own living room and bathrooms, our own side of the castle. Do you like that? All of the rooms are far away from my family and everyone else.”

“That would be amazing, I love it,” Liam kissed him again. “I love you so much.”

They kissed again with the wind caressing their cheeks and their hair. They broke the kiss and a song started playing in the background. They walked again to the ceremony and started dancing with their friends near them and Liam hugged him tightly. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading the whole fic, I would love to know what you think so please consider leaving a comment (and or kudos).


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